Best upright junipers in the Midwest

When you hear the name Juniper you might immediately think, UGH, I hate that plant. Sure, for a long time in the 1950’s and 60’s junipers (mostly spreading) were probably a bit overused, but who can argue that a low maintenance shrub with year round color isn’t nice to have. Upright junipers lost favor as well because the faster growing and cheaper arborvitae came into the picture. As gardeners we’ve evolved quite a bit over the years. We have access to more information, growers are producing so many more varieties of plants, we’ve turned our yards into outdoor living spaces and we basically are demanding more. But, does that mean junipers are a “has been” or should be thrown to the curb? I say, NO! Junipiers, just like any other plant, serve a purpose and have their place in everyone’s landscape. Since there are several types of junipers, uprights, spreaders, groundcover, let’s focus on the upright junipers and talk about three of the top selling varieties in the Midwest.